Agenda and work programme 24. Given the national situation and priorities, the ACC Network thematic group in Vietnam focuses its activities on food security. These activities naturally have a strong relationship with rural development, not least since as much as 80 percent of the country s population is rural. 25. In particular, the group undertakes activities in three main areas: a) support to the development of a food insecurity and vulnerability information and mapping system (FIVIMS); b) capacity building of MARD which is responsible for the tasks previously assigned to the National Food Security Committee now dismantled; c) advocacy and knowledge sharing to increase awareness about food security issues in Vietnam. 84
18. The Network s main objectives are to: mobilise support for government efforts to implement the World Food Summit Plan of Action; reinforce ties between UN organizations and other stakeholders and promote complementary action in the areas of rural development and food security; exchange and disseminate information, experiences and best practices. 19. In order to actively participate in the network and promote the food security concept in Vietnam, a technical working group on the topic was established. Thematic Group in Vietnam 20. Food security is a national priority in Vietnam, supported by a number of national programmes 15. While the Government recognises that availability and stability in food supplies are not by themselves sufficient to guarantee food security, for many years food self-sufficiency has nonetheless been seen as the key element of national food security policy. Since the early 1990s, Vietnam has achieved impressive increases in agricultural productivity and output, particularly for paddy rice, contributing to improved food availability. Yet, despite these achievements, chronic food insecurity and vulnerability persist in different parts of the country, particularly in isolated and environmentally fragile uplands, and coastal areas prone to natural disasters. The rate of malnutrition is also among the highest in the region. 21. Given the multifaceted character of food security, most of the activities and programmes currently being implemented by UN organizations in Vietnam are contributing towards the realisation of the goals in the World Food Summit Plan of Action 16. Programmes aimed at promoting rural development and poverty alleviation help to increase access to food and improve nutritional well being. Investments in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural infrastructure affect the availability of food and stability of supplies. Activities undertaken to reduce malnutrition, increase access to sanitation and safe water, improve food safety, and prepare for, and cope with, natural disasters, all contribute to enhanced food security. 22. The overall objectives of the group are: actively support the Government s efforts to implement the commitments in the World Food Summit Plan of Action; strengthen ties and build new action-oriented partnerships aimed at promoting food security in Vietnam; and exchange information, experiences and best practices related to food security and rural development. 23. Further specific objectives are identified for actual activities as developed. The group s objectives are reviewed yearly and amended as necessary. 15 Including the National Hunger Eradication and Poverty Reduction Programme (1996-2000) and the 1,715 Poor Communes Programme (1998-2005). 16 In this regard, the UNDAF Issue Paper on Follow-up in Vietnam to Major World Conferences (Hanoi, September 1998) notes activities undertaken by FAO, UNDP, WFP, UNICEF, UNIDO, the World Bank. 83
disseminating lessons learned and best practices. 14. The Government should: place in its development agenda food security and poverty as the first development goal; include the concept of food security in its poverty strategy under preparation by MOLISA and the I-PRSP under formulation by MPI; devote efforts to the actions needed to secure malnutrition and poverty reduction including sub-sectoral revisions and restructuring (e.g. agricultural extension system, agricultural research, nutrition education activities) define and implement safety net schemes to support the poorest and most vulnerable groups; build internal capacity to analyse policies and quantify their impact on the poor and food insecure; ensure broad participation of the beneficiaries in the implementation of programme and projects. 4. What are the key monitorable indicators? 15. The key monitorable indicators should be related to the impact that pro-poor and food security policies have on the beneficiaries. Indicators should be easily measurable and related to local conditions (e.g. child malnutrition, girls scholarisation, employment rate, etc.). Policy results or impact should not be confused with outputs (how many funds distributed, how many kilometers of roads, etc.). Indicators should be set at the beginning of the activities and their values monitored throughout the programme in order to enable potential corrective measures. Collection of information of the impact of the policies should be done properly and with the cooperation of the local authorities which should be requested to comment on the proposed activities at all stages of formulation and implementation. Special attention should be given to vulnerability and its causes (food is the first item to be neglected in case of urgent needs). Indicators and evaluation activities should take into account the sustainability of the results obtained including, if applicable, a corrective value in case of result volatility. Background to the Food Security Working Group 16. The ACC Network on rural development and food security was established by the United Nations Administrative Committee on Co-ordination (ACC) in April 1997 as an innovative and flexible mechanism for inter-agency follow-up to the World Food Summit. It has been endorsed and supported by the UN Secretary-General and the Heads of 20 UN organizations. It is jointly managed by FAO and IFAD, in close co-operation with WFP. 17. The ACC Network is intended to be country-focused and demand-driven. It aims to serve as a broker between partners committed to achieving food security and reducing rural poverty. It comprises thematic groups working on rural development and food security in countries, and a group of UN and civil society organizations at the international level 14. 14 The Network s Web site http://www.fao.org/sd/rdfs provides complete background information on the Network, focal points in UN organizations, establishment of thematic groups, news and progress, etc. 82
depending on national priorities and the work programme, the Groups should seek to achieve two broad objectives: to promote new projects, activities and investments in rural development and food security and enhance co-ordination at the national level; and to share relevant information, knowledge and expertise. creating awareness and advocating for rural development and food security issues; contributing to the implementation of national policies, strategies and action plans; monitoring national activities for rural development and food security; determining needs and opportunities at the grassroots level; formulating project proposals and identifying funding sources; promoting the sharing of indigenous knowledge, experiences and ways of communicating best practices; contributing to the creation and maintenance of common information systems and databases; organizing seminars and workshops on rural development and food security issues; promoting the participation of women and analysis of gender issues; promoting national capacity building and training activities; and promoting research activities. 12. The Role of the all international development partners should be: engaging in advocacy and disseminating lessons learned and best practices supporting the Government in its effort to adjust its policy to combat food insecurity and poverty cooperating with the Government in capacity building activities particularly in policy analysis and policy impact on the poor and food insecure building effective partnerships to carry out programmes and projects targeted to combat food insecurity and poverty (HEPR programme, 1715 communes, National Plan for Food Security, etc.) Suggesting quantifiable indicators to evaluate the impact of poverty reduction activities on the living standard of the beneficiaries (e.g. impact on child malnutrition) 13. The Role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should be: sharing their knowledge and expertise; engaging in advocacy and raising public awareness; contributing to policy dialogue; mobilizing resources; building the capacity of civil society organizations at the local level; 81
educate the people and raise their awareness of the significance and importance of food security. Social mass organizations (like the Farmers Union and Women s Union) play a very important role in Vietnamese society; they will have to be called upon to give full attention and support to creating the awareness of national food security issues in society. The TWG assists the Government in this effort particularly through the main activities mentioned above. 2. What are the key steps needed to attain the vision? 7. The experience of many countries has shown that economic growth does not translate automatically into a reduction of poverty and/or food security. In FAO s experience, focused action is required to create conditions that enable poor communities and households to take advantage of development opportunities. In poor communities and marginal areas, poor infrastructure, health and nutrition, and inadequate management capacities and illiteracy may be major, if not the most important, impediments to increased production and productivity. Malnutrition impairs overall economic growth since it affects productivity and ability to become engaged in productive activities. It also increases the risk of disease. Women and children may be the most affected by malnutrition because of unequal allocation of food within the household - often as a result of cultural practices - and due to women s heavy workload and responsibility in terms of productive and domestic tasks. 8. Household food security is the prime concern of poor households. It determines production and investment choices. A knowledge of how poor households strive to achieve food security is essential to understanding their coping and risk-aversion strategies. Essential also is the knowledge of the impact of economic and financial policies on the poor and the food insecure. Safety nets should be created to reduce the negative effects of the above policies on the most vulnerable segments of the population. 9. Government technical capacity to provide policy guidance on food security measures needs to be strengthened through national and international technical assistance, training, improved information service and material support. 10. With the prevailing public service culture, this also requires that other issues be addressed, such as : change in attitudes and mindsets of all partners to act in a more integrated and coordinated way adjustment of governance structure to allow greater flexibility and adaptability fostering transparency and sharing information among all partners effective coordination and partnership at all levels appropriate participatory monitoring and evaluation system. 3. What should the role of different partners be? 11. The main purpose of the Network s Thematic Groups is to provide an effective framework to discuss, plan and implement collaborative activities in rural development and food security and enhance the efforts of national governments to implement the commitments in the World Food Summit Plan of Action. While the specific objectives of Thematic Groups will vary 80
FOOD SECURITY 1. What is the long term vision? 1. Food insecurity arises mostly from households not having sufficient income to buy food. Despite Vietnam s significant economic progress in recent years, poverty remains fairly widespread. Research into the causes of poverty indicates that these are: isolation (geographic and social); high risks (from flooding, typhoons, diseases); inadequate access to available resources (land, credit); lack of environmental sustainability; and inadequate participation at the local level in the formulation of poverty alleviation initiatives. In the present economic and social context of the country, food insecurity and poverty are the two sides of the same coin. 2. There is a second dimension to this issue: food security at the household level not only means to provide sufficient basic food, it also involves securing the absence of malnutrition of any sort, including malnutrition due to protein/energy deficiency and malnutrition caused by micro-nutrient deficiency. 3. Nutrition security is the health aspect of food security. In Vietnam, malnutrition is still widespread. Children under five years of age are among the most vulnerable and affected groups. Apart from children, women especially suffer from malnutrition. On average, more than 40 percent of all mothers are malnourished. The main causes of adult malnutrition are likely to be associated with childhood undernutrition and current insufficient dietary intake in quality and quantity. The Vietnamese diet is dominated by rice and rice alone is deficient in several important nutrients. 4. The Government of Vietnam reported to the 1996 World Food Summit that Food Security has been and will be the national priority in Vietnam. Food Security is seen to be one of the most important factors contributing to the stabilization of the socio-economic development in the country. 5. Already in 1990/91, the Government formulated a new Socio-Economic Strategy for the period up to the year 2000 which inter alia proposed the formulation of a comprehensive national food security programme under which the Vietnamese agriculture will have the prime objective to ensure food supplies and improve nutritional levels of the diets for the whole community, providing not only sufficient calories but also higher levels of proteins, fats and vitamins. 6. A National Food Security Programme (NFSP) has been formulated to the horizon 2000. The Government has now decided to bring the NFSP forward to the horizon 2010. The new NFSP will be included in the 5 year plan and ten year strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture, the institution mandated to monitor and promote food security in the country. Within the framework of the programme, one of the major remaining issues is the development of strategies for the establishment of more stable agricultural eco-systems and shift from the present narrowly based agricultural production focus in rural areas to an effective and inter-linked agriculture-industryservice structure that will provide local employment, thereby creating a more stable basis for access to food. Particular attention still needs to be given to the poorest and most food insecure regions of the country. The Government of Vietnam is also committed to involve all elements of civil society in the effective implementation of the NFSP. Efforts will have to be made to 79